CVS/pharmacy photo centers get social

October 17th, 2011

WOONSOCKET, R.I. – CVS/pharmacy has added social network connectivity to all of its photo centers with Kodak Picture Kiosks.

The drug store chain said Monday that the new social networking functionality enables customers to access and print their photos or access friends' photos directly from Facebook at the Kodak Picture Kiosk. As a result, customers can print images without having to bring a digital camera, USB drive or storage card into the store; they simply retrieve their images online from Facebook.

According to CVS, approximately 140 billion photos are stored on Facebook, and another 200 million more are uploaded daily.

"With the launch of this new feature, CVS/pharmacy customers now have two powerful options for printing photos directly from Facebook," Grant Pill, vice president of store brands and photo at CVS/pharmacy, said in a statement. "They can select images from their Facebook albums and their friends' albums in-store through the Kodak Picture Kiosks, or they can send images right from Facebook through the CVS Express Photo App on Facebook and then pick them up at their local CVS/pharmacy in about an hour."

Besides providing photo prints, the in-store Facebook application lets customers create personalized photo books, calendars and other photo products right at the Kodak kiosk. Users just need to find the "Connect and Print from Facebook pages" icon on the kiosk's home screen. Also, the kiosk's on-screen keyboard now features dedicated "@" and ".com" keys, simplifying online site access.

Through October 23, CVS is allowing customers to try the service free via the "Free Print Week" promotion accessible through the CVS/pharmacy Facebook fan page at facebook.com/CVS. All customers who "Like" CVS/pharmacy on Facebook can print a coupon pass redeemable for 20 free 4x6 prints from any Facebook-enabled Kodak Picture Kiosk location.

"As more and more people upload and share photos through Facebook, we recognize that consumers want to do more with those photos," stated Larry Trevarthen, vice president of worldwide marketing for retail systems solutions at Eastman Kodak Co. "CVS/pharmacy and Kodak are making it possible to put memories back in customers' hands so they're no longer trapped online."